Ashes of a new world
by Urdnot Goat
Summary: She wanted a life of adventure and she got it, now she wonders if it's too late to back out. She did not sign up for dragons or civil wars and she most definitely did not sign up for a certain other worldly warrior. He wanted a world filled with humans once more and he got it, now he wonders if man is worth saving. He most definitely did not sign up for more Gods-damned dragons.
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: I obviously don't own any rights to either game nor any character therein, if i did then onion bro would have been a constant companion._

 _If you like it, you can follow or maybe even leave a review. If not, then take it easy on me, my ego can only take so much :)_

* * *

 _'Blasted thieves on a blasted mountain crawling with blasted wolves...'_

It would be safe to say that her thoughts were anything but pleasant as she drew her blade from the still corpse of the last of the aforementioned wolves. She had picked up on their presence almost an hour ago, stalking her through the thinning forest as she climbed towards Bleak falls Barrow, it was surprising to her that they took so long to commit to an attack, especially now that she saw the state they were in. Mangy was a term thrown around a lot in her home of Cyrodil, but these beasts were the very manifestation of the word, their fur was in tatters, their ribs visible through the thin, unhealthy hide. Starving animals were rarely so reluctant to attack.

Then again, that sort of strangeness was the staple of her life and had been as long as she could remember, animals had always been wary of her, dogs would run from her in the streets, horses would buck her given half a chance and even people, regardless of their race, had trouble hold eye contact with her. For most of her adolescence she had assumed the latter of those was because of her notorious temper, but even as the years taught her to reign in her emotions, people still rarely felt comfortable around her resulting in her current solitary lifestyle much to the ire of her mother.

She shuddered. Her mother had berated her fairly often after her twentieth birthday saying she would die a lonely woman if she didn't settle down soon, the comments infuriated her at the time and after the steaming mess that went down in Helgen, it only made it worse that she was nearly proven right.

 _'Blasted dragons and bootlicking, bastard Imperials...'_

It was bad enough that she was sentenced to death for the grand crime of crossing the border to Skyrim at the same time the imperials were rebel hunting, then her impromptu execution was upended by a dragon of all things that seemed equally if not more invested in murdering her, truly the divines had abandoned her. Then to add insult to injury, she was all but press ganged into Jarl Balgruufs service by the advisors that knew full well that her options could generously be described as 'limited', but at least the housecarl had seen fit to send one their "Best men" to ensure her safe passage through to the supposedly abandoned barrow, the same man who had so valiantly fled at first contact with bandits and now lay cooling in the snow with a unluckily placed arrow jutting from his neck.

 _'Arrogant pissing Jarls and damned fucking dragon stones-'_

The venomous thoughts died in her head as ancient ruins became visible over the hills' crest. Black arching pillars reached up as if clawing at the sky, made of some Daedra-cursed stone that could somehow withstand centuries of abuse. But it was not the demonic sight revealing itself that gave her pause, it was the smell. Flickering lights in the distance told her that fire lay ahead, likely for some poor sods keeping watch, but Helgen was far too fresh in her mind for her to think any good could come of the smell of burning flesh.

With as much stealth as a woman of her size could muster, she crept towards the barrow with eyes peeled for the inevitable danger that the Divines would surely see fit to test her with. The unease only grew as she approached, there was absolutely no sound to be heard but the light howl of the wind. She knew full well that where there were men standing guard, there were surely men grumbling about being on guard, there should be the sound of bored feet shuffling around the flame or the light banter of friends, instead there was only faint crackle of fire and the ever-growing stench from the whatever was burning on the fires.

She wasn't surprised to see human bodies when she crested the weathered stairs, with the luck she had thus far in the land of her ancestors she wouldn't be surprised if the same bastard dragon had decided to make the barrow its home. She shuddered again, best not tempt fate.

Two bodies lay half engulfed in the watch fire, not thrown on as she suspected, but rather by virtue of having fallen into it when they died. Another two bodies lay sprawled in the snow, one with his throat torn open and the other with a gaping wound in his chest, likely run through with a sword. With a grimace she knelt down but the latter while refusing to meet the man's glassy stare, the wound looked fresh, frost having yet to gather inside, his skin still pliable despite the creeping cold.

Whatever happened here, she had only just missed it.

Things did not improve as she moved to the cavernous entrance, bloody boot prints led the way past the body of a very large man, or rather he would have been had he still possessed the majority of his upper body. The sight made her stomach turn, she had seen this type of death before when the Thalmor inquisitors had made an 'arrest' on the librarian of Bruma, the 'resisting' Nord had promptly been subdued by the magic of all four of the High Elves, the combined energy of their shock spells flash boiling the man's blood and causing him to quiet literally explode in front of her young eyes. She was six years old at the time.

She moved on with a tight jaw, passing the ruined and often dismembered bodies of the rest of the group to stop in the middle of what would have once been their camp. Bags of supplies poked out from behind makeshift tents and crates of precious jewels and other items lay beneath embroidered sheets, suddenly she didn't feel the least bit sad for them, Bandits deserved no less. This must've been the greater part of the group that waylaid her further down the mountain.

Her old temper roared back into existence like an awakening beast as she rounded the tents to find a solitary corpse, bruises on the young woman's throat told the manner of her death, her torn dress spoke to what she went through before it, now discarded manacles explained the bruises on her wrists. But this body alone had been shown some measure of respect, the clothing had been arranged as much as the ruined garment allowed so as to preserve her modesty, her hands had been brought to her chest to clasp a brilliantly white stick, a branch from a tree she had never before seen. Finally, single rune like character was drawn on her forehead in what looked to be ash.

She felt a lot more charitable to the group that had done this, whatever their reasons for being here they at least had honor. Her eyes narrowed again as she stepped over the remaining corpses of the bandit group, taking note of a woman's body among them, her face caved in by what must have been a hammer blow. How she could have just stood by with what had happened mere feet away was beyond her understanding.

Steeling herself, she moved on deeper into the underground labyrinth.

* * *

 _'Pissing Jarls and sodding bandits and damned, Fucking undead!'_

This was a new experience for her, she had been in dozens of fights and had killed more than her fair share of people but the hopefully still-dead bodies that lay before her were something she had only heard of from her father's stories.

Draugr.

Long dead servants of ancient gods were once figures of terrifying tales, but the cut and torn corpses still clutching weapons of a bygone age indicated that those stories, like those of dragons, contained more truth than she would even be comfortable with. Thankfully it seemed like whatever unholy magic that preserved their undeath had been extinguished when they fell, yet another thing she would have to thank the preceding group for.

It had been nothing but undead corpses since she had entered the lower levels of the barrow, the air was heavy with an assortment of unpleasant odors that told her it would not be wise to remain any longer than needed. The last body not belonging to beast or monster had been just prior to the lower levels having received the same treatment as the rest of the bandit group. Curiously, she had spied a golden ornament shaped like a dragon's foot in plain view clutched in the figures hand that she had quite readily taken for herself, whoever this group was they were unnaturally indifferent to wealth. Or perhaps they simply planned to sweep the place once they were done, if that were the case then she had most certainly never seen such an ornament in her life and wished them all the best in finding it.

The only bodies she had yet to see were those belonging to the attacking group, in fact now that she thought about it, there had been no blood on the bandits' weapons nor on the draugr's weapons, not a single sign that one had been injured at all. The number of groups she knew of that could pull that off were few and far between, and none of them were groups she particularly wanted to come across. She sighed, not even a week's time in Skyrim and she was already re-considering the whole settling down thing.

She did not make good time in her exploration, the lack of enemies to fight only heightened her anxiety, every shadow from a flickering flame caused her to jump, every scuttling sound caused her heart to race and above all, the non-zero probability that any one of these bodies could decide to get back up had her moving with all the speed of a crippled horker.

She slowed her pace even more as she maneuvered her way around a suspicious oil patch on the floor and took some time to scan her surroundings, she was hoping that the dragon stone would be on one of the many shrines scattered about although she knew it was most likely to be at the very end of this hole, fortune was a fickle beast that had never liked her.

She was nearing her wits end when she finally heard it, the scuff of boots on stone at the other end of the tunnel like doorway, with light steps she crept forward. The steps were slow and careless, the owner making no pains to hide their presence, they must be quite sure that they had cleared all draugr out...or that they didn't care either way. Taking a deep calming breath, she rounded the corner with her best disarming smile.

A smile that froze and dropped as the figure didn't even register her entry, instead seeming quite engrossed in the murals that stretched across the walls of the hall. He was a tall man, some head taller than her own six feet and dressed in the strangest armor she had ever seen. A tattered cape hid most of his form but she could see it was mostly leather that wrapped closely around his form, the exception was the large steel plating that ran out of her view down his left arm, the knee plates and the strange triangular cone helm adorning his head. It was unusual but not too out of place considering the armor worn by some of the less reputable guilds in Tamriel. What was out of place was the massive great sword gripped loosely in his right hand, she had trained with her father's great sword and it would have only been the length of the blade of his sword.

She was so absorbed by the ludicrous size of the weapon that she didn't register its movement until it was pointing right at her, her eyes trailed back over the man as he turned to her, his armored left arm crossing over his right clasping a wickedly curved dagger.

"Whoa!" She called, sheathing her sword and raising her hands. "I'm not here to fight!"

The man only stared, golden eyes glowed with their own light as they regarded her from under the rim of his strange helm.

"And those...degenerates. Thou art no friend to them?" He finally asked in a smooth, surprisingly high voice.

A scowl came unbidden to her face. "Definitely not. I ran into the rest of them on my way up here."

The seconds passed as the great sword remained pointing unwaveringly at her chest, an unnatural feat of strength that made her wonder just who this person was. She was almost convinced that he would gut her regardless when he raised the sword to rest over his shoulder.

"What seekest thou here in such a dark place?" He asked, turning back towards the mural that she now saw depicted men in the act of worshipping a dragon.

"I seek..." She cocked her head; only highborn elves ever spoke like that. "I'm looking for a tablet, it's supposed to have writing on it in the dragon language."

The man sheathed his dagger and moved towards the ornate door at the end of the hall. "I have not seen such a stone. If it is of value perhaps it resides beyond this door...although it requires a three-pronged key of some manner."

She only hummed in acknowledgement as she examined the door. Three concentric rings surrounded the keyhole, each ring bearing a familiar animal emblem and the key holes themselves lay within a familiar imprint. Snorting, she retrieved the golden claw from her belt.

"Dragon claw for a dragon door. These people may have been more than a little obsessed." She muttered to herself.

"A most curious key indeed." The man agreed, suddenly right at her shoulder.

"GAH!" She near shrieked as she spun around to face him. "For the love of the eight! Don't do that!"

The man merely cocked his head and moved back a step.

"What's your name anyway?" She asked after her heart rate dropped back to an acceptable level.

Seconds passed before the man answered. "Galeran, of Astora."

She held the claw up to the door, the same three animal emblems mirrored on the claw if only in the wrong order. "Never heard of it."

"It is far from here." Came his reply, tone indicating that was all he wished to say.

"Okay...Nice to meet you Gale." She grunted as she pushed on the door, the circular stone rotated with about as much ease as one would expect from a giant ancient stone block. "I'm Katryn...do you think you could give me a hand with this?"

Together they maneuvered the rotating segments until the emblems aligned with those on the claw, she was aware that the weathered holes in the wall either side of her would hold a nasty surprise if she was guessing wrong. With a careful push the claw entered the trio of holes in the stone and she felt some sort of catch give way under it, with a small heave she pulled the claw in a downward motion and gave a yell of triumph as a hidden mechanism pulled the door segments into the walls and floor.

"Look at that!" She exclaimed looking toward Gale. "Something went right today!"

The man just stared at her. She was staring to see a pattern there. "Gale?" he asked.

"Yes." She gave another disarming smile and stepped through the door frame. "Life's too short for long names."

The man looked at her as if uncomfortable before nodding slightly.

"What brings you here Gale?" She asked emerging into the cavernous room, giant stalactites hung from the cave's ceiling from centuries of neglect, stone and all manner of debris covered what may have once been a beautiful hall of some sort.

The man himself seemed far more interested in the room as she was. "I was beset by those brigands. Curiosity led me deeper into these ruins."

She raised an eyebrow at him. "So you braved an army of Draugr, giant spiders and ancient traps because...you were curious?"

The man scratched at man faded runes inscribed on a wall. "Yes."

It was her turn to stare.

"Guess if I could throw a great sword around one-handed then I could afford to be more curious too." she muttered to herself.

* * *

"I do hope this is not the tablet you seek."

"It better sodding well not be..." Was all she could say. That would just make the whole journey complete.

They were standing in front of a giant stone display; clean cut runes were etched into the face of it and she felt herself step closer without conscious thought. The runes were so alien yet at the same time, so hauntingly familiar. She focused on the center most set of runes, the meaning almost at the tip of her tongue, dancing on the edge of her mind like a half-remembered melody.

Suddenly she found herself shaken as Gale forcibly pulled her away from the wall.

"Why- What are you doing?" She demanded and she pushed his hands away.

"Thou hast been staring for minutes, I spoke and you heard me not."

Her head felt strange and it took her a few seconds to process his strange speech. "I didn't eve-"

The cracking of stone cut her off mid-sentence and she turned to stare wide-eyed as a chunk of granite half her size flew off of the coffin besides the throne, an emaciated hand gripped the rim and a creature right out of her childhood nightmares emerged. It appeared much like the previous Draugr, thin petrified skin stretched across a skeletal frame, but this particular undead was taller even than Gale, thick dark iron was strapped to its body with leather that had somehow endured from centuries, glowing crystal blue eyes regarded them from beneath its heavy, horned helm.

Suddenly it moved, crossing the gap between her and it in less than a second, she was barely reaching for her sword when the creature's axe came down on her. She was saved as a great sword moved past her like a blur to swat the Draugr's weapon aside, her savior moved past her lashing out with his dagger to tear the left pauldron from the things armor.

Gale moved as fast as she had seen anyone fight, the sheer size and weight of his sword beating aside the Draugr's attempts to block while the dagger lashed out to tear at its throat and gut, she could see how the other Draugr had fallen before him. The fight seemed decided to her before a single word cut through the air as sharp as any blade.

" **Fus-** "

She Knew that word, its meaning pulled at her mind as if demanding acknowledgement, instinct demanded that she brace. Unfortunately, Gale did not share that instinct.

" **Ro-DAH!** "

With an almighty thunder clap, the very air exploded in front of the undead lord as if a dozen barrels of oil had gone up in flame. The force stuck her companion like a run-away wagon and threw him into the air only to strike the edge of the word wall with bone-crushing force before he fell limply to the ground.

And then she was alone with the undead, those same empty eyes turned to focus on her, mouth open in a grim imitation of a smile. Without a word she charged forward, the Draugr's axe came down with more force than she would have been able to stop but she was prepared for that, with a nimble hop she was a foot away as the axe sailed past, the swing unbalancing the taller monster and leaving it open as her sword carved through its abdomen leaving a wound that would have killed any man. She realized her error too late and a large bony fist struck her in the gut and sent her rolling across the floor, barely able to dodge the following axe swing.

The thing was relentless, swinging the axe around with the endurance of one kept alive through arcane means. Every swing she made was battered aside by axe or fist, the owner uncaring for wounds that would have incapacitated anything else. Her energy began to wane and it was not long before she left herself unbalanced and received a crushing kick to the center of her chest, sending here skidding across floor to stop against the same coffin from which the monster emerged.

The Draugr seemed content to take its' time as it near-sauntered towards her, apparently even the undead weren't immune to arrogance; It stopped before her, axe by its side and she heard the intake of breath. She shuddered to think what the same attack the felled Gale would do to her.

Thankfully she wouldn't have to find out as a golden bolt of lightning struck the beast from behind sending it staggering to a knee. Behind it she could see Gale rising from his knee. His helm was missing, no doubt lost in his fall, a shock of unruly ash white hair framed a face that couldn't have been any older than hers, his burning golden eyes narrowed in a glare that threatened to incinerate the Draugr on the spot.

'Wait...' She thought before it dawned on her. His eyes were literally burning.

In fact, all of him was. The air around him wavered as if above a stove, lines of fire raced across his armor as he sunk into a strange crouch that slung his sword over his shoulder and left his left arm dangling in front, the limb twisted and bent at an unnatural angle from his fall. Even his skin began to crack as if a fire raged inside his very body threatening to consume him, within seconds his sword was ablaze with an inferno of its own.

With shocking speed Gale jumped and brought his blade down, cutting off the Draugr's charge attempt. Flames erupted from the ground as blade made contact and she could smell the remaining flesh on the undead begin to burn away. Gale struck again and again with wide heavy blows forcing the Draugr back and away from her, every blocking attempt was swatted away with enough force that it staggered, but still the creature would not die.

Great flames licked outwards in an arc with every swing of his blade forcing the undead to hop backwards to avoid him, each blow scorching the surrounding stone. But the mysterious warrior had even more tricks, with an explosive kick he propelled himself forward to close the distance with a flaming thrust, the great length of his sword crossing the gap between them to strike the helmet from its head. He gave no quarter and continued his assault.

Gale struck once, twice in a pair of attacks that tore away the remaining armor plates from its body before leaping into a twisting somersault to bring the flaming great sword down, shattering the Draugr lord's guard and arm and smashing it to the ground, he wasted no time in kicking it over onto its back and ramming the blade down through its chest. The undead let out a howling scream as the flames increased in intensity, burning it away from the inside out and forcing her to look away. When she was able to look again, there was nothing but ash.

Silence filled the hall as Gale fell to his knee, the flames disappearing as quickly as they had come and he braced himself against his sword in an effort to avoid collapsing completely. His breathing came in quick gasps as he struggled at his waist as if searching for something.

"Gale!" She called as she limped her way towards him. He was still reaching in vain at his belt, his good arm unable to reach its objective and support his weight at the same time.

"Left hip." He grated out, turning as much as possible towards her.

It was immediately obvious what he was after, a large flask was secured to his belt casting a dull orange light.

"Here." She said as she pressed the strange potion into his hand, it was curiously warm to the touch.

He took several long gulps before his face contorted in a grimace. When the first snap sounded, she thought another abomination was emerging from its coffin, the second crunching pop made it clear that it was Gales own arm. Slowly, the man climbed to his feet, his face relaxing even as his arm continued to snap back into an acceptable position.

"That." He began, voice as level as ever. "Was most unpleasant."

"You're going to have to explain to me just what in the name of Azura's left tit just happened." She said reaching for her own wineskin, she was lucky it was filled with healing tonic even if she wished it still had wine.

"It is a long tale." He replied.

"One for the road then?" She said, catching sight of something inside the same coffin the Draugr lord had slept in.

"You wish me to travel with thee?"

"We're going to have to work on your normal speak." She mused digging into the mess of stone rubble to dig out a large sapphire pendant. "Unless you have somewhere to be?"

"I... Do not." Came the hesitant reply.

"Great!" She cheered and promptly hauled a thick engraved chunk of black stone to rest of the rim of the coffin. "Because there in no way in Oblivion that I'm carrying this thing back to Whiterun by myself.

Gale just blinked between her and the stone before turning to the larger Word wall.

"I suppose it is the lesser of two evils."


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Hello everyone, i had meant to get this out much earlier than this. Unfortunately, i managed to catch the worst stomach flu i have ever experienced, and due to my own stupidity, ended up with nasty additional health issues. And then of course, Xmas time arrived and all creative time was lost in a haze of Chocolate and other things that aren't good for me.

I should probably explain that my story will take certain liberties with established canon in both games, Darksouls is a game centered purely around its mechanics and its lore is intentionally left open, thus characters will be fleshed out as i see fit with added ideas about what those degenerates get up to in firelink shrine and beyond.

Skyrim, as with all bethesda games is unpolished and i'll be making little adjustments to fix what i think are rough areas and also to adapt the world to the coming dark soul.

Thanks to all those who are viewing the story and especially those who follow, review and other such things. It is greatly appreciated.

* * *

 **Katryn**

"I still don't get it, where the hell did it go?"

She felt as thick as a Dwemer breastplate at that moment, she had always been fascinated by magic and had read about all the major disciplines from those practiced at the guild of magic right to the taboo arcane arts in the Hist swamps of the Argonians, but despite all this she could not wrap her head around the small sack that hung from Gale's belt.

"It is still here." The man responded in his oddly high-pitched voice as he reached into the sack and pulled the Dragon stone halfway out, the sack itself stretching in a logic defying manner to accommodate the object before he allowed it to slide back in.

"But look!" She exclaimed, snatching the confusing sack from Gale's hand and upending it. "It doesn't fall out, it's not an illusion and you say it's not teleportation... It doesn't even weigh anything!"

"And yet." Her companion began as he took his bag back and pulled the stone out once more. "Here it is."

' _Is he being deliberately obtuse?'_ She thought to herself before catching sight of the ever so slight up-tilt corner of his mouth that indicated he _was_ in fact playing with her. She huffed without any real annoyance, she considered it an achievement in her book that she had gotten that level of reaction out of him, the man hadn't cracked a joke, a smile or even a frown the entire way down the mountain and had instead maintained that same stone face and metaphorical distance between them.

"In truth, I do not know how this or any item of its kind functions." Gale began and she had to stop herself from jumping in surprise, this was the first time he had volunteered anything beyond a simple response. "The magic involved in creating such things has been lost for millennia. As best I understand, the sack contains a gate of sorts that leads to another aspect of reality that we cannot normally perceive."

Katryn stared. The man had gone from barely speaking to the vocabulary of a long-time scholar, he was without a doubt the strangest person she had ever met.

Gale continued to speak, his face pursed in thought. "I suppose an analogy could be found in a painting, the observer sees the painting as flat yet if one were to live in the painting there would be a depth of area to his view that the observer cannot perceive. Likewise, I am of the belief that there is a realm or dimension beyond our ability to naturally observe."

"I... Okay." She filed this conversation away in her mind, it seemed to be his area of interest. "So, you have a lot of things in there?"

Gale cocked his head. "Yes, although I had not thought to take count. Time was... of the essence." He brought up the sack and slowly withdrew a long and thin blade, the type of sword the old Emperors guard, the blades, used in times of old.

Her interest must have shown on her face because he produced the sheath for the sword and handed it to her. She brought the sword up to her eye to examine it, the sheath was simple yet beautiful being made of some unfamiliar dark wood, the handle was wrapped in ray-skin and bound with dark ribbon. With as much flourish as she could she drew the sword, it was lighter than any other she had ever used and responded to every flick of her wrist. With a smile she brought the sword above her head and slashed down through an imaginary Draugr.

"The Advantage of the Uchigatana is that one can draw and attack in the same motion." Gale said as she handed him back the sword. He held the sheath at his waist as if it were attached to his belt and with one smooth movement he pushed forward and pulled the blade from its sheath right into a sweeping backhanded slash. "Few expect such an attack."

"Anything in there for hunting dragons?" She joked as he slid the sword back into his bag. Only to gasp in shock as he began to pull out a length of beautifully engraved steel.

The curved steel length just kept coming and he finally freed it by dropping the bag to the ground, it was only when he planted the larger end on the ground and forcibly began to bend it that she realized what it was, an impractically sized great bow. She was about to say as much before the thought struck her that if anything, the bow was too small to do anything but tickle a dragon unless he had-

Once again, her thoughts were cut off as he finished stringing the bow and withdrew an arrow from his bag, although the word 'arrow' was the loosest possible term for the monstrous javelin-like object in his hand. With the base planted in front of him he pinned it down with his front foot and with a grunt pulled the base of the 'arrow' to his cheek and loosed it at a nearby oak. The almighty crack echoed through the evening air as the metal tip punched into the trunk of the oak sending a shower of splinters in every direction, the sound of panicking birds soon joined that echo as they took off in fright.

"Sweet child of Mara." Katryn whispered.

Curious steps carried her to the great arrow to find in well and truly stuck, an experimental tug revealed that the tree would just have to live with the giant metal shaft, her mind already picturing a child's swing set hanging from the arrow some hundred years from now. Her little fantasy was cut short as Gale gripped the arrow shaft, planted his foot against the tree and heaved. She supposed she shouldn't be surprised anymore at his random displays of strength; the man's preferred combat style was to one-hand a greatsword and pair it with a dagger the size of a shortsword after all.

"I am told that these bows were used to hunt dragons in times past." The man said, placing each object back into his mysterious pouch. "Never seen it done with mine own eyes."

"Well it's not as if these would be used on people, that would be excessive even for Thalmor." She chuckled to herself. A handful of seconds passed before she noticed Gale's ever so slight grimace.

"You're jesting right?" She asked.

"The results are...disturbing." Her companion responded.

At this she once again found her mind trying to figure out where this man was from. Flaming swords and lightning were not uncommon even in her limited experience, but there was something decidedly unnatural about him. His build was unremarkable for his size yet he was easily one of the stronger people she had ever met, he barely spoke but when he did his speech indicated a deep education, His skin was fair enough to be a native to Skyrim but his features were refined enough that one could mistake him for a mixed breed elf.

Her own education had been exceptional and she was fairly certain that no major city bore the name "Astora". She wondered whether he could be lying to her before a thought occurred to her, she was certain that there was no city in _Tamriel_ by that name but Tamriel was not the only continent on Mundas. Akivir, the ancient home of man existed somewhere beyond the shores of Skyrim.

"So, tell me about Astora."

She didn't know what kind of response to expect but she was surprised when the man jolted in surprise, very nearly tripping on the uneven path.

"What doth thou wish to know?" Came a reply that sounded almost...Hesitant.

"What is the greatest thing about Astora, the thing you miss most?" She asked in an attempt to diffuse his sudden tension.

Almost a minute passed by in silence before he finally responded in a voice quiet even by his own standards. "The parades."

She tilted her head questioningly as he seemed to struggle with the memory.

"Astora was known for its wealth and culture, the blue tabards born by the elite knights of the land were recognized by all. As a child I would run out to watch them march by our estate to try catch sight of my brother. Once, he even bore me on his shoulder for the rest of the parade."

She waited but he did not make any attempt to continue with his story.

That he spoke of it all in past tense was not lost on her.

* * *

 **Gale**

His head hurt.

Pain was not something he was unaccustomed to, in fact one could quite rightly say that it was the one constant in his life...perhaps 'Lives' was the more accurate term, he had after all lived and died countless times since awakening in that gods-forsaken graveyard.

But this pain was somewhat bitter-sweet. His first life was something that came to him in flashes, enough that he knew his name and origin but precious little more. Now however, he had a solid recollection and it came to him with shocking clarity, he could smell the oil on chainmail, hear the metallic chorus of marching boots, feel the solid pauldron beneath him and most potently of all, feel the child-like hero worship he held for his brother.

A faceless, nameless brother as it was. From a long dead, faceless and nameless family. Hence the bittersweet nature of such a memory.

His mind turned once again to his impromptu travelling companion, a veritable contradiction of personality quirks. Her imposing height and build, especially for a woman, was countered by a quirky and playful sense of humor that reminded him uncomfortably of Greirat. Her rustic leather and fur armor that gave the impression of a barbaric mountain dweller belied a sharp wit and surprising level of education. But there was one thing above all that intrigued him, the familiar feeling that he had when she was near, one he had felt numerous times throughout the past months and knew very well.

It was the same feeling he always had when he came upon one with a powerful soul, or as Ludleth had put it, 'A twisted soul, steeped in strength'.

The fact she wasn't trying to kill him was a breath of proverbial fresh air, so it probably indicated that the 'twisted' part of the description was inaccurate in her case. Nevertheless, the fact that someone as unassuming as Katryn bore such a soul piqued his curiosity, he just hoped that his curious nature would not lead him on another horror journey as it did with Ariandel... or the Dreg heap.

He shivered. The Dreg heap and the Ringed city were places he dearly wished he could forget, and it did not help that Katryn had seen fit to nickname him after one of his most terrifying foes, even if he had once been a friend of sorts.

The thundering sound of a club meeting the earth pulled him from his thoughts, it was a sound he was well acquainted with. Katryn was the first of them to act, bounding through the remaining trees around the mountain path towards the source. He stopped in confusion as he broke through the foliage and beheld the...Giant?... doing battle with a group of warriors. It was by far the strangest giant he had ever seen, dressed in the wooly hide of some unknown animal and swinging about a club larger than most men.

' _The giants of this world must be a far different breed_.' He thought to himself as he walked unhurriedly towards the melee. Firstly, it was smaller than the giants he was familiar with and far more wiry, secondly it fought with none of skill or finesse the Yhorm possessed, perhaps Yhorm was a cut above most giants in martial ability. What It did have in common was the raw strength expected of one so large.

The ground quaked with every blow as the pack of warriors danced around it alternating between attacking and distracting roles, one archer in particular seemed to be making the calls while firing arrows at the giants face forcing it to keep the arm upraised in defense. They fought well, leagues better than bandits and hollows he fought at the barrow, one warrior would feint in to bait out the giant's attack and the other two would dart in to cut away at its legs while it was unable to retaliate, an attack pattern that was reminiscent of a wolf pack. Katryns arrival speed up the inevitable as she leapt from a crumbling stone wall to hamstring the weakening giant and it felt to its knee with a pained groan which was cut short as a lucky arrow found its way into its eye.

Almost as one the warriors sheathed their weapons and turned to the red-haired archer, the archer herself was content to stare coolly at the pair of newcomers as Gale finally arrived at her side. The war paint on the woman's face did a good job at masking any little expressions that would give away her thoughts, her armor left her midriff and parts of her arms exposed leaving him to wonder what purpose it served. Finally he made eye contact with the silent woman and he felt his fingers twitch for his sword, her eyes were a deep, unnatural amber eerily reminiscent of his own, a trait he realized was shared among two of the other warriors. Finely honed instincts warned him that the three were far more dangerous than they appeared.

"Well. That's taken care of." The woman began. "Although it seems one of you would make a better shield-sibling than the other."

"I have no quarrel with the giant. Far be it for me to join a fight without understanding the situatin." He replied seeing Katryn frown a little at his rebuke.

The archer scoffed. "It's a giant, not a man. There is no reasoning with it."

Gale cocked a brow at her, the woman's casual arrogance grated at him more than it usually would. "Spoken with many giants then, I wouldst assume?"

"Giants don't talk." Stated one of the warriors, a large bear of a man. A split-second after, a small frown creased his face and he turned to the warrior beside him. "Do giants talk, brother?"

"Not to my knowledge." The brother replied, stiffening as the archer turn her frown towards them.

Gale looked down at the colossal corpse that lay crushing some poor farmers vegetable garden. "Stitched animal-hide garments, carved oak club. If it is capable of making thread and needles and working both leather and wood then t'would stand to reason such a beast would be able to communicate, wouldst it not?"

The Huntresses eyes narrowed at him, an almost animal look that did not sit well on an otherwise beautiful face. "A _True_ warrior would relish the opportunity to test his mettle against such an opponent."

Gale's own eyes narrowed, the longer he was in this woman's presence, the more he felt that those three were...wrong. "Perhaps, I've often found the phrase "true warrior" to be synonymous with 'fool'.

Strangely this response only made the woman smile, another predatory expression that looked much out of place. "Perhaps you would be willing to come by Jorrvaskr and show us how the wise do battle then, outlander?"

Gale blinked at this. "Jorrvaskr?" He asked.

"The home of the Companions, it stands before Dragon's reach here in Whiterun." The woman replied.

He turned to Katryn, she did not look pleased with him or the situation before turning back to the Huntress. "If it be thine wish, our business with the Jarl should not endure for too long."

"Until then outlander." She said, turning to walk past her assembled companions. "Come boys, Jorrvask awaits!"

"He has strange eyes, brother." Came the terrible attempt at a whisper from the departing group.

Any replay he may have heard was lost as Katryn's palm met his un-armored shoulder with surprising force.

"What in the name of Molag's balls was that about?" She hissed.

He merely turned to her and tilted his head questioningly.

"Don't give me that look, life is hard enough here in Skyrim without making enemies with the Companions of all people!"

His only response was a raised brow which earned him an exasperated sigh.

"Let's just go see the pissing Jarl, the sooner he gets his stone the sooner I get paid and the sooner I can get a warm meal."

"Something is wrong with them." He finally spoke.

"What?"

"The huntress and the two brothers. Something is...wrong." He clarified.

"Gale. You throw lightning with one hand and throw around a great sword with the other. You were literally on fire when you killed that giant draugr."

He blinked. Twice. "Your point is valid."

Katryn sighed again. "I do see what you mean, there's something odd about them but then again, we're both outsiders here so we aren't the best judges."

Gale hummed in agreement and turned his attention to the city as they walked on. The city walls were rustic and unrefined in design yet quite functional, by the height of the roofs visible over the top he supposed that the ground level was higher inside, making them impossible to breach. All three of the gates were heavily reinforced and set up with large killing grounds in between, truly this city was built to withstand a siege.

The sight the awaited him as they entered the city proper stopped him dead in his tracks. People were everywhere, non-hollow people that simply went about their business, and there were so many of them! Children darted along in groups as they played some alien game amongst themselves, women and men wandered between the market stalls and various houses, milling about in a chaotic mass of bodies that all at once amazed and terrified him.

The clanging of hammers on steel assaulted his ears, the smell of smoke from house chimneys and forges brought memories of Lothric to mind, he could now hear the unsteady clacking of armored boots and the moans of hollows, he could smell the scent of burning and rotting flesh. His muscles tensed and his hand absently made its way to the hilt of his Farron great sword.

"Gale." The name snapped him back to the present as a hand grabbed his wrist. "Are you okay?"

He turned his gaze downward to find Katryn looking up at him with concern in her eyes.

"I am sorry, I... forgot myself." He tried, the excuse sounded lame to his own ears.

"How does Whiterun compare to Astora?" She asked him. He could tell she was trying to keep his thoughts occupied. He appreciated it.

"In truth, I have not been to Astora for... many years, I scarcely recall what the city was like."

"Oh? So which city did you come here from then?" She asked.

Gale cursed internally, he had managed to walk himself right back into the one place he was trying not to think about.

"It is called Lothric." He eventually replied.

Katryn hummed thoughtfully. "Haven't heard of that one either, how does it compare to this?"

This time Gale steeled himself as he drudged up the memories of that destitute city. "In its prime, Lothric had no match, the walls were over a hundred feet high, the castle proper and the grand archives seemed to touch the sky and its people were the wealthiest in the world."

"That sounds amazing, kind of like the imperial city." Katryn said as she navigated them through the busy streets towards a large statue.

"It was by all accounts. When I arrived, the city had fallen into disrepair from strife and civil war, those who roamed the streets were little more than beasts themselves."

"Oh... What was your reason for being there if it was so bad?"

Gale chewed his lip searching for a partial answer that would satisfy his inquisitive companion. It was hard thing for such a terrible liar. "I was to deliver a message."

"What kind of message?"

This time, the words came unbidden to his lips. The same words uttered in his mind and soul since the bells tolled to bring him from the grave.

"In flesh or in cinders, the lords shall take their thrones." He said.

The silence stretched on between them as they crested the stairs before a large ornate longhouse.

"That sounds almost like an ultimatum." Came Katryn's voice.

Gale hummed in agreement. "That's because it was."

Thankfully he was saved by any further explanation as they were approached by two of the guardsmen.

"Halt. What business do you have here, the court is not in open session until the evening" The guard questioned.

' _A ruler who allows the common folk to come in open audience? How strange.'_ He thought to himself as Katryn answered the guard.

It seemed their arrival was anticipated and the guard hurried them inside and directed them towards a room off the side of the main hall. As they neared the entrance, he could make out two distinct voices, he was surprised when Katryn's arm reached out to stop him in his tracks. The woman only motioned for him to be quiet before sneaking closer.

The conversation meant little to him without context, the voices discussed some sort of record from an age he was unfamiliar with and one person's ability to compare it to other records, in truth, if it were not for Katryn's rapped attention then he would have barged right on in. That was until one sentence made him startle.

"The dragons have returned."

The phrase uttered from the feminine voice caused his gut to roll and his fists to clench, his mind assailed by memories of giant stone scales, torrents of abyssal flames and a giant clawed hand that sought to deny him entry to the church of Filianore.

"Ah, so you have returned! With good news I hope." The male voice roused him to the realization that he was standing alone by the doorway, he quickly entered to stand behind his companion.

"And with a new companion, this was not the man sent with you?" The man continued.

"No." Came an uncharacteristically cold voice as Katryn turned motioned to him for the Dragon stone. "Your man fell to bandits on the journey, Gale had been hunting the same bandits and joined with me."

"Oh, that is unfortunate. But his sacrifice will be remembered." He started before catching sight of the tablet Gale had produced from his bag. "The Dragon stone of Bleak falls barrow, you two are evidently a cut above the usual brutes the Jarl sends to aid me."

Gale made to hand over the tablet when Katryn's arm halted him once again.

"What about my reward?" She asked.

"Oh, you'll have to see the Jarl or Avenicci. The Jarl's funds are not mine to disperse unfortunately, they are sure to reward you no doubt."

A second passed and Katryn nodded at him which he took as a sign to hand it over. They robed man took it and cradled it as if it were a newborn.

"Incredible." The man breathed before looking up at them. "My...associate here will be pleased to see your handiwork. She discovered its location, by means she has so far declined to share with me."

He turned to the mysterious hooded woman. In Gale's experience, people with hooded faces meant trouble.

"So, your information was correct after all. And we have our friend to thank for recovering it for us." He continued.

The woman merely regarded him and Katryn, her hooded eyes rolling over them both in a critical manner before speaking. "Impressive, to brave Bleak falls barrow. You do not know the importance of what you have done. Farengar, be sure to-"

She was cut off as a strange looking woman burst into the room. Her eyes were blood red, her skin a deep purple that verged on black, her features all sharp angles.

"Farengar! You must come at once!" She called. "A dragon has been sighted!"

The strange woman then caught sight of them, her eyes briefly glancing over him before resting on Katryn.

"You should come too, you're the only one to have seen a dragon attack." She added.

His gaze shot toward his companion, this was one thing she had neglected to mention during her incessant talking on the return to Whiterun. Katryn looked about abut ready to tell her where she could stick her suggestion when Farengar's excited voice sounded.

"A dragon! How exciting, where was it? What was it doing?" He questioned as he hurried after her.

Katryn hissed in annoyance as she turned to follow, leaving a very confused Gale to follow her.

"Irelith tells me that you came from the western watchtower?" Came a strong confident voice as they arrived at the upper floor. The man speaking had to be the Jarl, broad shoulders were adorned with ceremonial pauldrons and a fur mantle, a simple circlet of bronze sat upon the man's head.

"Uh, yes m'lord." The soldier stammered, Gale could hear the near panic in his voice. "We saw it approach from the south, it was faster than anything I've ever seen."

"Did it attack the garrison?" The Jarl pressed.

"No m'lord, it was only circling as I left. I've never run so fast in my life, I thought it would take me for sure."

The Jarl breathed a deep sigh as he drummed his fingers on the table. "Head down to the barracks for some rest son, you deserve it. Irileth, muster all available men, I want the guard on high alert and the folk returned to their homes. I want every man we can spare ready to march on the western watchtower."

The woman nodded. "Being done as we speak m'lord, they will assemble before the main gate."

The Jarl smiled and turned to Katryn. "There's no time to stand on ceremony my friend, and I know I ask a great deal from you. You survived Helgen and I need whatever information you have given to my men as they march."

Katryn herself had turned pale. "I... I don't know.." She trailed off.

The Jarl's face was grim and he approached her. "I am aware of what I am asking and believe me when I say I wish I did not have to ask, but I need anything that can help save my men's lives, the reward will of course be substantial for you and your companion."

He set his hands on Katryn's shoulders. "It is not befitting of a Jarl to beg, but needs must. Will you help us?"

Katryn's eyes darted rapidly from the Jarl's eyes to the door to the floor and back again, seconds passed before she took a deep bracing breath and nodded.

A relieved smile formed on the Jarl's face. "My deepest thanks sword-maiden, the men await before the main gate."

Gale clamped his hand down on her shoulder as the Jarl turned his attention back down to the maps and letters scattered about his table.

"I am with thee Katryn. We shall be victorious." He reassured her.

"I need but a minute to change."

* * *

Thanks for reading. Feel free to leave any critiques or thoughts.


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